Final Fantasy VII: Devil's Trill
by Smart in a Stupid Way
Summary: LOVE KILLS. A year after Advent Children, the Geostigma has started to come back. ShinRa is being run by someone new will there be a repeat of before? Zack and Kadaj are resurrected!CloudZack, KadajOC, Summary sucks, but look inside!
1. You're the Subject of This Exhibition

A/N: Ah, Devil's Trill! My baby! The first four chapters are the exact words from an rp made by my fellow writer Mentaru and myself, so if its a little odd at first, I apologize. I am a HUGE Kadaj fan, and I thought that his character needed to be used and/or fleshed out a bit. I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Oh, and the italics at the beginning is Denzel as our little narator! Marlene got to do it last time, so I thought it was his turn! And for those not japanese-literate among us, kaa-san means mother and nii-san means big brother. ENJOY!

_It's been two years since our last meeting with Sephiroth. His avatar, Kadaj, was planning a second Reunion. Vincent called him a "larval form" of Sephiroth. Kadaj attacked Cloud, but joined the Lifestream soon after. His brothers, Loz and Yazoo, joined him seconds later._

_The aftermath of the planet's anger, the Geostigma, was finally cured by Aerith's rain. I remember when Cloud held me up and set me in the water; it finally brought our family back together again. _

_In the past two years, Cloud's delivery service has grown and Yuffie and everyone have joined them. Tifa got fed up with answering Cloud's phone all of the time, so Cloud hired a secretary. Her name is Arisa and she's really sweet. Tifa has kept her bar open with the help of Cid, and Marlene and I help out where we can. Cloud has moved in with the three of us and its starting to feel like everything's gonna' be okay again. Even Vincent has been a little bit happier lately. _

_Rufus and the Turks have begun to rebuild Shin-Ra and are using their money and power to help rebuild Edge. Reno and Rude visit every once in a while. It seems like everything's going to be all right now. I just hope that if this is a dream, I never wake up._

Rude followed behind his boss as he wheeled into the board room. _'I wonder what he's going to do... he's wearing that sheet again...'_

Rufus calmly rested his arm on the rest of his wheelchair, his fingers hanging loosely off the ends; he was being careful not to reveal the stigma that had recently reappeared, however, and had retreated to the safety of his sheet. He was silent, thinking, as the soft hum-whirr of the wheelchair led him into the board room. He stopped at the end of a long, rectangular table; the time had come.

"I can tell that all of you are rather disconcerted at the fact that you are in this dreadful meeting room today, but as head of this company, I hope you will all respect the decision I have currently made.

"A strange thing has reoccurred recently, and knowing full well the affects of said reoccurrence, I have decided to resign from Shin-Ra"--shock spread through the entire room, from eyes widening to mouths hanging slightly open--"to investigate why this thing is reoccurring."

Reno, who had been next to Rude all along (Miyou was just too lazy to mention him), leaned over to whisper to his aibou lover partner, "Is he serious?!"

Rude patted his "partner's" hand and mouthed to him, 'All in good time...' He could barely believe it himself, but he knew that something was up and Rufus would tell them soon enough.

Thorne was the first to speak, "Mr. Shin-ra, the company cannot go on hiatus at this time! Are you going to have someone replace you? It is simply the worst possible time for us to lose what we have been working towards!" He inwardly smirked; by suggesting that, he had just left himself open to be nominated. Then he would have control of Shin-Ra at last!

Reno commenced in his trademark "loss of words" stupor and facial expressions, and eventually gave up, paying more attention now to the meeting to see just what Rufus was thinking.

Rufus nodded. "Indeed, you speak true words, Mr. Bordeaux. At such a time as this, I cannot possibly leave while we have progressed so much. And so, I have thought long and hard upon a suitable replacement until the time comes in which I will return to Shin-Ra..." He looked to everyone in the meeting room, taking note their reactions and idle whispers as he was silent.

Thorne couldn't believe it! He had been right all along! Everything was going according to plan... "And who shall it be, Mr. Shin-ra?"

Rufus chuckled lightly. "Considering your devout eagerness, Mr. Bordeaux... maybe I should reconsider my choice? After all, an overly zealous man is no man to run this company--as my father so proved." He stared fixedly on Thorne, testing his response. The rest of the board stared curiously

"N-no sir!" Thorne stuttered, "I just think that Shin-Ra is doing such a good job rebuilding Edge and that we need someone who can take control and continue the rebuilding. New Edge has prospered from this company, and we're just about to start re-building the highway system..." He was sweating, hoping his cover would not be blown.

Rufus smirked, not that anyone could really see it, what with the sheet and all. "Very well put; I agree." A pause. "Congratulations, then, Mr. Bordeaux. I'm sure you will lead Shin-Ra well in my absence."

Reno 'hmphed. "I don't trust him..." he muttered to himself.

"There will be no need of your trust in him, Reno," Rufus replied calmly, to which Reno shifted nervously: the President--well, ex-President--wasn't supposed to hear that. "I would never abandon my Turks... You should know that."

"And we thank you for that," Rude answered with a gentle shove to Reno's arm. "Idiot."

Thorne attempted to feign modesty, "Thank you so much Mr. Shin-Ra! You won't regret this!" He shook Rufus' bandaged hand vigorously. This was just perfect; everything was going so well!

Arisa sighed as she finished the last bit of her paper work and turned off her computer. "Another day's work present and accounted for... maybe Mr. Valentine will go to that movie premiere with me this weekend!! That would be so awesome!" She squealed and did a little twirl while grabbing her briefcase. She was about to run out the door when the phone rang. "Hello, Strife Delivery Service! You name it we ship it!"

"This is Warren Holt on behalf of Shin-Ra's research department. We need a delivery to be made right away."

"I'm sorry sir, but we are closed for today. Would you like me to leave a message for it to be picked up tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow would be too late, I'm afraid. This is urgent. Perhaps an extra sum of payment could be wagered to have it made a special delivery?"

"I see..." Arisa could really use the money. She was late on her rent and she didn't know if she'd have enough to eat... "I think an arrangement could be made..." She then proceeded to write down the time and place and was just about to dash out the door when she ran smack jab into an extremely tall man in a red cape.

"Miss Arisa," Vincent said rather dully, merely stating his acknowledgement of the younger girl.

"Mr. Valentine!" Arisa squeaked as she jumped back. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you! How are you?" She pushed a strand of her crimson hair behind her ear and blushed slightly.

Vincent shook his head in a "there's no need to apologize" way. "It's quite alright. And I am as I always am. But you seem to be in a rush, so you should be on your way." He stepped aside to let her pass.

Arisa's face fell. "Yes..." she mumbled and hurried away, not even bothering to say good bye. She got on her moped and sped off to the destination. She picked up the box of materia and quickened her pace towards the Shin-Ra building so she wouldn't miss this deadline. The security man pointed her towards a bright white room.

Walking in, she was astounded by the massive amount of technological equipment. There was giant pod hooked up to a large computer system that was somehow linked to a large bowl filled with some sort of liquid. Looking over into the bowl, she accidentally dropped a pale blue orb of materia into the liquid.

"Shit!" she cried as she reached her arm into the bowl. Arisa fished around inside there but pulled back quickly as flesh began to fall off her arm. She screamed, but no one came. She backed up, running into the large computer. The computer made noises and the pod started to whirl. A bright light issued and then it stopped suddenly. She walked slowly over to the pod and opened the lid.

Inside was a beautiful young man. He had effeminate facial features and silky sliver hair. Her eyes wandered down his sculpted chest and biceps to a trail of thin sliver hairs leading down to his large- "Oh my God he's naked!!!" she exclaimed as she fell back onto the floor.

Kadaj slowly opened his eyes, only to realize he was completely surrounded by a Lifestream-like liquid and was floating, naked in this Lifestream-like liquid, which was contained in a large pod connected and wired to various pieces of machinery. This all seemed to familiar...

"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod..." she whispered furiously, her eyes closed, "This has _got_ to be a dream! I mean, seriously, there is _not_ a naked silver haired man in that pod and when I look I'm going to find nothing but that acid crap..." She convinced herself enough that she stood and walked over, peaking into the pod. "Oh shit."

Kadaj's eyes flared. "Shin-Ra..." _Kaa-san!_ "Damn them!" And so, in a strange series of events in which Miyou doesn't really know how to explain, it seems Kadaj's hatred toward Shin-Ra unleashed itself upon the pod and shattered it, releasing the silver-haired man from the pod in a _SPLASH!_ of Lifestream-like liquid and flying pieces of not-quite-glass-not-quite-plastic.

Arisa tried to block the not-quite-glass-not-quite-plastic pieces from her face with her arms. ((Well, the good one blocked, the fucked up one wasn't moving very well)) Unfortunately, one shard sliced her cheek so it looked like a tear drop of blood fell down her cheek. "Is there a reason you hate Shin-Ra? Can I help you somehow?" she questioned as she cradled her arm back against her body.

Kadaj fell limply to the ground, curled up in a tight ball, not realizing this waif of a girl had spoken. _Kaa-san... they killed you, Kaa-san..._ After a moment lost in thought, he realized the girl named Arisa was still there. He sat up slowly, hugging his legs to himself, staring coldly at Arisa. "You. Do something useful. There must be at least a lab coat or something around here somewhere. I'm not just going to sit here naked for you to stare at me all day."

"Oh, um, yeah..." Arisa said, a blush painting her cheeks. She looked out into the hall and saw a man coming at her, screaming that she shouldn't be in there. "Sorry," she whispered as he came into the doorway and punched him hard in the face, knocking him out. She nudged his body with her foot, making sure he was completely out of it. "Will this do?"

Kadaj watched the red-head curiously, yet still sporting his "I hate the world" facade. "Anything but _nothing_ will do."

She pulled the lab coat off of the scientist and handed it to the silver-haired boy. She would have given him the rest of his clothes too, but this guy was a little..._robust_. She looked back down at her arm, finally realizing how much it hurt. ((You know when you have a bad cut but if you don't know that its there, it doesn't hurt until you look at it and recognize that you're hurt? It's like that.)) She grimaced as she looked at what would be a horrible scar. "What am I gonna do now?" she murmured.

Kadaj swiftly clothed himself and was standing seconds later. He began making his way out of the research lab, having the full intent of finding that damned President and getting his revenge. _Shin-Ra, we've got a score to settle._

Before he fully reached the threshold of the lab, however, he stopped. Unfortunately, the company hadn't revived him equipped with his katana. Damn. He regrettably figured he'd have to employ the knowledge of the girl to get it (or any sword for that matter) back

"Um, Mr. Random Guy, wait!" Arisa exclaimed as she followed him, "You can't just go off into Shin-Ra without any real clothes or anything! I mean, I don't even know how you got here. One minute that pod was empty, and then I dropped the materia into that birdbath thingy, that acid stuff burned my arm, and then I ran into something and you popped up! Plus, we're going to get in SO much trouble if we get caught and..." She trailed off of her rambling. She'd never done anything illegal before and she could safely say that whatever she had done, it was illegal.

Kadaj whipped around in that fluid way of his, facing Arisa with a smirk, head craned slightly down so he was looking up into her eyes instead of straight into them. "Kadaj," he stated slowly, enunciating every syllable in that "doushite" kind of voice. He straightened and looked Arisa over for the first time. The girl was a little more than a head shorter than him with wavy red hair to right below her shoulders. Her body was petite, yet voluptuous, and her eyes were a dark green. "Hmph. You're irritatingly noisy and obnoxious, but surely you can be useful."

Arisa kind of zoned, half shocked, half attempting not to drool, when he said his name. She knew that name from somewhere... "Oh my God, you're that bastard that gave my sister and me the Geostigma two years ago! She almost died you asshole!" she shouted, smacking him hard in the chest. "And I am not obnoxious!" This wasn't like her, she was normally really sweet and quiet, but she had had enough for one day and she was exhausted.

"Hn. The stigma chose its victims, not I." He remained unfazed as Arisa smacked him. "Though I would suggest not angering me." He almost laughed when she told him she wasn't obnoxious. "It's all in the eye of the beholder," he said, waving his hand in a circular motion giving the impression he didn't want to dwell on this petty chatter. He smirked, craned his head down again, and continued in the same slow, low voice as before, "Help me get my katana back, and maybe I might reconsider."

"Like I know where the hell you're-" she stopped as a thought popped into her brain. She could just turn this guy back into Shin-Ra and then she wouldn't have to deal with it. She almost smiled, and then remembered that it was her fault he was here in the first place. She heaved a long heavy sigh. "Alright, whatever. I'll help you find your stupid pointy stick..."

Kadaj's smirk widened almost to what some might mistake as a grin. "Then lead the way. I am the one in only a lab coat, after all. And _you're_ the one they're going to catch first." Not that they were going to get caught. Shin-Ra employees were dully weak. And stupid.

"Wait, what?" she asked then shook her head, "Never mind. Your last fight with Cloud was on the highway, right? Come on. Its probably still out there, they haven't even begun to start rebuilding it. Stupid Shin-Ra; ever since Rufus took a leave of absence and that new guy popped up, Shin-Ra's gone down the crap-shoot..." She grabbed the sleeve of his lab coat and tugged him along behind her.

Kadaj freed himself from Arisa's grasp and brushed of the part she had grabbed on his lab coat. _Tch. I always knew he was a coward..._ But what Kadaj didn't realize (he was too preoccupied with his katana) was that Rufus' LOA would make it so much harder to for him to find the ex-President to exact his revenge... oh well.

Miraculously, Arisa and Kadaj hadn't been seen by a soul as they left the building. She led him over to her red moped and shrugged with a sheepish grin. "I, um, can't afford a motorcycle..."

Kadaj looked the moped over carefully, grimacing. "Obviously."

"Oh shut up, at least I didn't steal it!" she pouted, sticking her tongue out. "So, um, how are we going to get to the Highway? Its, like, midnight and really creepy guys come out about this time so I _really_ don't want to walk..."

Kadaj 'hn'ed. "We're driving," he stated, that low voice coming back again; he was already on the close-enough-to-a-motorcycle. "Give me your keys and get on. You probably drive slowly anyway."

"I do not drive slow!" she growled as she forked over her keys. She flung her leg over the seat and climbed on. "Let's go, I have work tomorrow and I need some rest."

"Well, I drive"--Kadaj smirked as he shoved the keys into the ignition, revved the engine, leaned forward slightly (just for sexy measure), and roared off--"_FAST_." And it didn't seem mechanically possible for Arisa's moped to be going so fast, but it was. Because Kadaj was driving. Duh.

"Holy Shit!" Arisa cried as she clung to Kadaj for dear life. Her eyes were sealed shut, because she knew if she opened them she would be screaming her head off in terror. "Pleasedon'tlethimkillmepleaseohpleaseohplease!" she whispered furiously as she buried her face into his back.

Kadaj sat up a little straighter when she clung to him; he wasn't used to being touched. The muscles in his back tightened, then released slowly as he became accustomed to her body against his own.

Before time even had a second to fly, Kadaj was screeching the moped to a sideways halt. He slammed his foot down on the pavement to secure them from falling over, and kicked the kick-stand as he hopped off. He looked back at Arisa and smirked. "I told you you drive slow."

Arisa trembled as she got off of the moped. "Oh my God...you are...a MANIAC!!!" She sighed as she plopped back onto the seat. "This is it?"

Kadaj ignored Arisa, eyes searching his surroundings. Yes, he remembered this spot. Unfortunately, with the moped, it would be very hard to maneuver through the rubble, so it was best to leave it on the road. They'd be walking the rest of the way. "Come," he said to Arisa, motioning with his hand.

Arisa straightened her skirt and followed him. She knew her moped wouldn't get stolen. "You know, a 'please' or a 'thank you' wouldn't kill you..." she sighed.

Kadaj led them to the exact spot he and Cloud has last fought. He remembered that battle clearly... Insert flashback of battle scene here for kicks Where was it? This was the spot, he was definitely for certain. But his katana _was not_ here. He sighed, frustrated. "Shit..."

"Not here, huh?" Arisa yawned. "Maybe somebody took it, like Shin-Ra or Cloud, maybe even some random little kid? Why don't we just look for it tomorrow? Please?"

"Fine." Glaring at the katana-less area once again, he turned and headed back toward the moped, knowing Arisa would follow.

"Thank God..." Arisa muttered under her breath. Her stilettos were killing her and she was pretty sure her feet were bleeding. _Just another thing to add to the list of reasons why today sucked..._ she thought as she followed Kadaj back to her moped.

Kadaj reached the moped and hopped back on, kicking the kickstand back up as well in one fluid movement. He shoved the keys he had put in the lab coat pocket into the ignition and waited for Arisa to get on, already hunching over slightly ready to revv the engine as soon as she got on.

Arisa joined him on the bike, wrapping her arms around his waist lightly as she waited for him to go faster than the speed of light again. She rested her head lightly on his back, tired from all of the events of the day.

Kadaj revved the engine and sped off again, hair whipping elegantly behind him. He noticed that she wasn't clinging for dear life like before, and he couldn't decide whether he missed her pressed against him or not. He decided that it didn't matter and forgot about it completely, rather, focusing his attention on how he could get his katana back.

"Hey Kadaj!' Arisa yelled over the engine, "Take a right here!" She supposed she'd have to keep him at her place until she figured out what in God's name was happening. Arisa laughed slightly; she was thinking of Kadaj like a big mean lost puppy!

Not bothering to respond, Kadaj swerved to the right. He assumed they were going to Arisa's place, but he wondered just what kind of place it was... It probably wasn't much, considering the not-quite-a-motorcycle they were currently on. Kaa-san had pampered him too much...

"Its right here," she called, pointing to a shabby looking apartment building in a shitty part of town. She was a little embarrassed at him seeing the hell-hole she lived in, but she was just thankful for a roof over her head...

Kadaj almost gagged as he swerved the moped to a stop. It was worse than he had thought. He kicked the kickstand down and examined the apartment building. He had to admit, though, this was probably better than living in an abandoned church like Nii-san had...

"I know it's not much, but my boss is really stingy so I don't earn very much..." she was blushing horribly now as she lead him up the eight flights of stairs. She pulled out her house keys and let them in. Her apartment was a 2 room facility with a pull-out couch, kitchen table, and necessary appliances all in one room. The other room was the bathroom with a small shower, toilet, and sink. She had clothes hanging from the shower rod, drying (Shirts as well as like bras and stuff) and stilettos thrown all over the kitchen. "Tadaima..." she said to her little bowl of fish sitting on the counter next to her laptop.

Kadaj peered around the two small rooms. "Hn. It looks like you barely have enough room for yourself..." He plopped himself on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

She pulled off her heels and nearly fainted from the pain. Arisa went into the bathroom and grabbed her box of band-aids before hobbling back to the couch and plopping down next to Kadaj. She inspected both of her feet and her arm before looking into the box. She sighed and then gave a pathetic little laugh. "I don't think I have enough..."

Kadaj glanced over at Arisa and noticed her bad arm for the first time. Her right arm was covered in a dark red swirl that started at her elbow and ended at her middle knuckle. "For being such a girl you sure do know how to bang yourself up." It wasn't really an insult, but it wasn't really a compliment either. Kadaj was merely stating the facts.

"What do you mean 'for being such a girl'?" she asked. She hadn't taken it badly and wasn't being annoying this once; she actually just wanted to know. "And I got this from resurrecting you, however I did that..."

"It means exactly what it says," he replied cryptically. He stared at Arisa when she told him how she screwed up her arm so much. "Human sacrifice..." he mumbled, turning his head away and leaning it on the back of the couch, closing his eyes, "Where am I sleeping?"

"The floor," she replied simply as she handed him a pillow. If he was gonna be all enigmatic to her, he could sleep on the floor for all she cared. "Unlike _some_ people, I actually have to go in to work tomorrow in exactly-" she paused to look at the clock, "- three hours. Three hours! Shit!"

Kadaj narrowed his eyes but took the pillow anyway. "The floor? I _do not_ sleep on the floor."

"Well I only have one bed and if you don't want to have to sleep next to me, you'll take the floor," she answered as she went back into the bathroom to change. That would shut him up...she hoped...

He'd take the floor. Grumbling and glaring, he curled up on the floor out of the way of the couch and quickly entered dreamland, where Kaa-san and his brothers were all living happily ever after.

"That sure was fast..." Arisa mumbled as she emerged from the bathroom and saw him. She fed her two fish, Miyouko and Yoshimi, and grabbed her laptop. Sitting on the couch, she began clacking away on her manuscript for the New Edge Times. She'd wanted to work there since she could remember, but settled for secretarial work when they didn't have any openings. One day they would, and then she would pounce. Plus, it wasn't like she was going to get any sleep tonight; if she fell asleep now, she would be late and Cloud would dock her pay, making her rent even more late.

Three hours later, after her sixth cup of coffee, she was just about to leave for work when she remembered the silver-haired man sleeping on her floor. She grabbed a blanket and covered him up, then wrote him a note and left.


	2. I'm Talented With Reason

A/N: Alright! Chapter 2! Whoo! I'm gonna wait a little while to see how these two are recieved before I post the next three. This means, of course, THAT YOU HAVE TO REVIEW OR YOU WILL NEVER EVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. And the big battle scene is in the next chapter. Enjoy chapter 2!

Three hours later, after her sixth cup of coffee, she was just about to leave for work when she remembered the silver-haired man sleeping on her floor. She grabbed a blanket and covered him up, then wrote him a note and left. It said:

_Kadaj, __  
__I've got to work until six or so tonight so I won't be home until then. I'll buy you some clothes on my lunch break, so don't worry about that. I left some coffee for you and I think there's some strawberry smoothie left in the fridge if you want that. There should be some food in the kitchen if you get hungry. The remote for the TV is on the counter next to the fish. Please don't get up and leave while I'm gone; I promise I'll help you look for your katana when I get home. I'll even make dinner; I promise. __  
__Arisa_

Kadaj blearily opened his eyes around noon to a very quiet apartment. Oh right. Arisa had work. He stood up and found the note Arisa had left. He read it as he walked toward the coffee pot. A cup was neatly placed next to it, just for him. He half expected it to be labeled "Kadaj," but that was absurd and childish. Of course, when he found that it was labeled, he stared at it, wishing it wasn't true. He eventually grasped the concept that it was true, and poured himself some coffee. He set the note down by the coffee pot and grabbed the remote to the TV on his way to the couch. There was absolutely nothing interesting on the Edge Daily News, so he flipped idly, trying to find some sort of history channel. He'd been dead, after all, so he wanted to know what exactly was going on.  
No such luck. Arisa obviously couldn't afford more than basic channels. He flipped back to the Edge Daily News, figuring maybe some report on recent Shin-Ra activity might pop up. He'd stay bored out of his mind till then. (Though the thought of finally having clothing did pass the time rather well sometimes.)

Despite the ten cups of coffee she had consumed, Arisa fell asleep at her desk. She had a very strange dream; Kadaj was _nice_ to her, he even _protected_ her from this giant monster thing. It was very strange... Eventually she woke up when she heard the sound of boots clicking on the tile floor.

"Arisa, I do hope you're not sleeping on the job," Cloud said as he neared Arisa's desk from the hallway. He had important business with Rufus, and as secretary, it was the girl's job to answer the phone. If she had missed that call from Rufus, she'd most likely not be seeing a paycheck this month.

Arisa sat up very straight in her chair, "No Mr. Strife, I wasn't sleeping!" Just then, the phone rang and she scrambled to pick it up, "Strife Delivery Service, you name it we ship- Oh, hello Mr. Shin-Ra. Yes, he's standing right here." She paused and handed Cloud the phone, "Mr. Shin-Ra for you, sir." Thank God she had answered that phone; she wouldn't be able to feed Kadaj if her paycheck got cut... Feed Kadaj? Eff him, she wouldn't be able to feed herself! Why had she put him first?

Cloud took the phone from Arisa. "Kadaj? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. I still have it, yeah. But you're not going to get it from me without a price. Fifty thousand gil, and we have a deal. Still want it, Mr. Shin-Ra?"

On the other end of the line, Rufus was very irked. It was all money with Cloud these days. The kid had always been stingy, but it had only gotten worse with all the business he got. "Fine. Fifty thousand gil. I'll have one of mine pick it up, I'm not about to pay you even more just to deliver the damn thing as well."

"Thank you for your business, Mr. Shin-Ra. The children will be eating well tonight." Cloud heard the dial tone and handed the phone back to Arisa.

Arisa set the phone back down, "Um, Mr. Strife? Can I ask you a favor?" She had never asked for time off before, so he better as hell give it to her or that phone wouldn't be answered for a good three and a half months! "Would you mind if I took tomorrow off? I need the three day weekend to...take care of something. I've never asked for a day off since I've worked here, and I'm sure Denzel or Marlene would _love_ to do it. Please?"

Cloud blinked. A day off? Well, that certainly was an odd request. "Sure," he replied. I mean, what the hell? There's always a first time for everything. "Marlene could probably do it for you. Do you mind if I ask why?"

"Well, um," Arisa stuttered, "You see... I, uh, found this..._puppy_! Yes! And I have to take it to the vet to make sure its okay and stuff, it looks sick..." Wow, that was the shittiest lie she had ever told, but she prayed Cloud didn't realize; or better, didn't care.

"Well, you'll have to bring him up here sometime, I love dogs, actually. Used to have one back in Nibelheim, but he died shortly after I went off to SOLDIER. You take care of the little fella, alright?" He walked out of the room, reminiscing. Oh how he missed Sora...

"Thank you sir!" Arisa called after him. That way, she could help Kadaj find his stick-thing and he could get the hell out of her apartment!

...6 o'clock...  
Arisa rummaged through her purse, then realized she'd left her house keys inside the apartment. She banged on the door loudly calling, "Kadaj? I left my keys, open the door!" She hit the door one last time as a shot of pain surged through her burned arm. She gasped and fell to her knees, pain coursing up through her.

Kadaj threw the remote on the couch and made his way over to the door. Upon opening it, he said, "Clothes. I'd rather not stay in this lab coat any longer."

Arisa whimpered for a minute on the floor before sucking it up. "If you help me in the door, I'll let you have you're damn clothes," she hissed, her arm clutched to her body.

Kadaj quickly grabbed the remaining bags Arisa didn't have in her grasp and stepped aside to let her in, setting the bags down on the ground. He took a mental note of her apparent pain but decided better to say nothing. "Where are they?"

"The blue bag," she answered as she walked past him and into the kitchen. She had bought what she thought would fit him, but she couldn't be for sure. Inside the bag was a pair of black pants, black boxers, and three button down shirts in miscellaneous colors. She shrugged off her work blazer and peeled of the elbow-length gloves she had worn to hide her arm. She plunged it into the cold water in the sink and whimpered slightly. "Man this hurts like a _mofo_..."

Kadaj sifted through the blue bag and pulled out the boxers, inspecting them. They weren't bad, actually. He dressed quickly, and everything fit surprising well. He had to admit, Arisa had a good eye for size and style. He made his way into the kitchen, where he had seen Arisa go, and was fixing a button on his shirt when he stopped, leaning against the edge of the wall. "Uh," he started. He didn't really know how to say this. "...Thanks..." he mumbled quickly, "D'you buy any food? There was hardly anything left this morning."

Arisa turned around (arm still in the sink) in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. She was stunned; not just because he looked really hot with the clothes she had bought him, but because he had _thanked_ her. "You're welcome," she said when she returned back to reality, "and yes, I got some take-out. I'll make you something tomorrow; I'm too tired tonight. Do you like Chinese?"

Kadaj snorted. "It'll be another excuse tomorrow," he said. People who broke promises so easily made excuses for everything. Without responding to Arisa's question, he followed the smell of Chinese take-out and made himself comfortable on the couch again. Arisa would probably be paying a pretty high electric bill this month with the way Kadaj kept the TV on at all times...

"You just wait, mister! You're gonna have the best freakin meal of your little undead life! So there!" Arisa laughed as she got down two plates from her cabinet. She brought both the plates and the bag full of the food over to the couch and sat down next to Kadaj. "Do you want me to make you a plate or can you do it?"

Kadaj narrowed his eyes in a half-glare... thing. He grabbed a plate and said, "I can do it myself." And with that, he dug into the bag and removed a box of food, opening it and piling some of it onto his plate.

Arisa laughed and helped herself as well, piling her plate with a little bit of everything. She broke her chopsticks and dug in; starving from her lack of lunch. She commandeered the remote from underneath Kadaj's butt (he was sitting on it!) and changed the station to one of her favorite shows; a crime show.

Kadaj shifted slightly as she got the remote, then took the other set of chopsticks and broke them, not bothering to say "itadakimasu." He was hungry, dammit; he wanted to shove the food into his mouth as soon as possible. And so he did. He was so content eating that he didn't really mind when Arisa changed the channel--he hadn't really paid much attention to the TV all day, anyway.

Arisa ignored Kadaj; she was really getting into her show. Gesturing with her chopsticks, she made little noises every now and then until they got to the shoot-out at the end of the episode when she yelled, "You fucking moron- DUCK!!!"

Kadaj looked up from his food to stare at the screen for a few seconds. "He's gonna die," he stated flatly, and then went back to eating.

The character died; of course. Arisa pouted, "Thanks for ruining it for me Kadaj. You're the best friend I've ever had." Ah, sarcasm! What would the world be like without it? She sat her plate down on the coffee table and opened her fortune cookie. "Someone you hate right now will eventually become the love of your life. But, watch your back, someone else has a trick up their sleeve that might just ruin it for you. Lucky numbers are nine, five, and six. Well that's random..."

Kadaj shrugged, setting his plate down on the table as well. He picked up his fortune cookie and broke it apart, pulling out the thin piece of paper inside. "Something close to you will continue to stay out of your grasp until trouble simmers down. Lucky numbers: three, four, and one." He ripped the paper in half and threw it on the table. "What a load of bull."

"I _really_ hope that it isn't talking about your katana or I am going to be stuck with a very pissy Kadaj for a _looooong_ time," she snickered. She took both of their plates up to the sink and started to wash the dishes. She had meant to do it yesterday but...well Kadaj came. She couldn't afford a dish-washer so she did it by hand. "Can you dry these for me?" she called over to him.

"Tch." He got up, though, when she called to him. He leaned against the edge of the wall again. "Can't you just let them sit out to dry?"

"Ew, Kadaj, that's how you get bugs and mold," she gave him the 'are-you-crazy?' look, "It won't take too long, and if you help me, I think I have some info on your little lost katana..." Bribery was a low tactic, yet it always seemed to work...

Kadaj's head perked up. News on his katana? "Fine," he grumbled, and grabbed a towel reluctantly, drying the dishes Arisa handed him. Kami-sama, this was so degrading...

Arisa laughed and bumped his arm playfully, "I knew that would work!" She hummed a little bit as she scrubbed the dishes and handed them to him. It was peaceful, in a 'ha-ha-I'm-making-you-do-this-and-you're-gonna-like-it-so-there' kind of way.

Kadaj grumbled. He wasn't doing this because he wanted to. He was doing it because he wanted his katana back. That thing was one of a damn kind. There was only one double-bladed katana on the planet, and it was his. And he wanted it back. It was practically his baby for God's sake. "Hn."

Arisa handed him the last dish and dried her hands. "Alright, a deal's a deal. I'll dish on what I found out." She was curious to see his reaction to this, but also nervous at the same time...

Kadaj quickly dried the dish and set the towel down, crossing his arms. "Well?" He had a feeling this wasn't the best of news; Arisa looked nervous.

"Ok, so, um...promise me something first?" Arisa asked, playing with her thumbs like a little third grader. "Promise me that, no matter what, you won't go ballistic and start yelling at me or something. Okay?"

Kadaj grumbled in anticipation, waving his hand in agreeance. "Alright, alright, fine. Now spill it, woman."

"Ok, so um...here goes. I didn't tell you who I work for because...well because I thought you'd get all mad at me or try to use me or something. I work for Cloud...I'm his secretary." She paused to let this sink in. "So today, Cloud got a call from Mr. Shin-Ra and Cloud said something about you. Apparently, he has your katana and sold it to Mr. Shin-Ra for ALOT of money. I don't know why Mr. Shin-Ra wants it, but I _do_ know that he was sending one of his Turks over to get it late tonight."

Kadaj stared. "Nii-san?!" he said incredulously. Of _all_ the dumb luck, she _had_ to work for his nii-san. He sighed frustrated. "Shit..." Well, if Rufus was sending one of his stupid cronies over, Kadaj would have to go crash their little party. He wasn't about to let his sword get sold off to Shin-Ra. "I'm going to intercept it," he decided. "There's no fucking way my katana is getting in the hands of that damn Shin-Ra."

"Okay...so you're not mad at me for not telling you?" she asked hopefully. She didn't really care if Kadaj went after them, he was a big boy and he could take care of himself...except he didn't have any weapons...oh yeah...

Kadaj sighed. He really hated this new soft side of himself. Where the hell had it come from? "I... no. I'm actually glad?--that you told me..." God, stupid softness. It was so frustrating.

"Ok, cool!" Arisa smiled, "Oh yeah! You probably need some kind of weapon or something...hold on a minute." She rushed over to the closet next to the bathroom and dug through the clothes to find a long, thin, locked box. She opened it and inside was two swords. (The short ones that Aoshi used on Kenshin, I can't remember their names...shit...)) "You can borrow these if you want. They were my Grandpa's so be careful with them."

Kadaj inspected the swords. "Hn. They'll do. Makeshift double-blades..." He carefully took them from Arisa and stepped back into open space to test their movement. They were actually pretty nice swords for being so old and out of duty for so long.

"I thought you'd like them," she said as she stepped back from his test-drive. Of course, she didn't tell him that she was trained to use those swords and could probably take him in a battle if he pissed her off that badly.

"What time exactly did Shin-Ra say?" Kadaj asked, still swinging the swords around.

Arisa looked at the clock, "In about an hour, you should make it no problem. And Kadaj?" She attempted to get closer to him, dodging the swords, finally grabbing his arms and holding them down. "Be careful, ok?"

Kadaj was rather taken aback; he stared at Arisa for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "Hn." He released himself from Arisa's grasp and headed toward the door, grabbing the keys to the moped on his way. He opened the door and curtly waved his hand as he left.

Arisa sighed and rolled her eyes, "Kadaj, you sure do have a way with words..." She walked over and fed Yoshimi and Miyouko, "Have I ever told you two how lucky you are that you're fish?" The two brightly colored fish ignored her and ate, as most fish tend to do. She booted up her laptop and looked into Shin-Ra's latest plans. She couldn't find anything at all about that research facility, so she attempted to hack into their files.


	3. Our Day Keeps Falling on a Leap Year

A/N: I got the loveliest review today and so I was inspired to actually finish this chapter! I warn you, there is a slight lime and, yes, I do realize they've only known each other for three days. They're horny adults who can do whatever they want. I hope you enjoy! AND REVIEW!!!

Kadaj swerved to a stop at the back of 7th Heaven and turned off the ignition, kicked the kickstand, and hopped off the moped all in one fluid movement. He grabbed the double swords and stealthily headed toward the front--he couldn't climb walls, and he saw lights on on the second floor, so he'd have to go through the front. So much for parking in the back...

Cloud locked the safe a final time and smirked at the thought of that 50k Gil he'd just made. Reno had already left with Kadaj's sword and was probably halfway back to Rufus. He was about to turn around when two blades simultaneously were pressed against his neck.

"Where is it, nii-san? You're hiding it, I know you are."

Cloud's eyes widened. What the hell? Kadaj? But he was... "Kadaj...?" he said slowly.

"I'm alive, yes. But I want my katana back, nii-san. I know you have it."

Crap. He couldn't just tell Kadaj he'd sold his precious sword. "Let me get it, then?"

Kadaj glared but released the blades from Cloud's neck. "I'll come with you." He held Cloud at sword-point, and if the blonde made any wrong move, Kadaj could simply shish kabob him.

Cloud led them into a room full of all his weapons. All he had to do was grab one.

He ran, grabbing the nearest sword, before Kadaj could even blink. "If you want your sword so badly, let's have a rematch, eh?" he proposed, sword in the ready.

Kadaj readied his double blades. "This time I won't die so easily...!" he roared, lunging toward Cloud.

Cloud blocked easily due to his huge-ass buster and shoved Kadaj back a few feet. Kadaj caught himself on the wall, pushing off into a jump that landed him almost on top of his opponent. The two fought vigorously for what seemed like hours, alternating between offense and defense, before someone drew first blood.

Kadaj turned at the wrong moment and was slashed down his left arm from collar bone to forearm by Cloud's giant blade. With a cry of pain, Kadaj attempted his last move, reopening Cloud's old shoulder wound with one kodachi and knocking him out with the hilt of the other.

Gripping his left arm tightly, Kadaj stepped over Cloud to a case that looked like it should hold his katana. He opened it to find... nothing. "SHIT!" he swore, whipping around and glaring at the unconscious Cloud.

TIME WARP

Kadaj somehow managed to make it back to Arisa's apartment, and kicked lightly on the door after he'd parked the moped. He had left the swords on the moped, as his arm was bleeding like crazy, and it helped slightly to have his other hand grip the wound. "Dammit woman, open the door..."

Arisa was in the middle of changing when she heard the kick to the door. She ran over to the door, clad only in her underwear and a black wife-beater. She opened the door with a gasp, "Oh my God, Kadaj! Come in, come in!" She led him inside and went quick as lightning on the buttons on his shirt, ripping it off to get a better look at the wound. "Oh my God! I should take you to the hospital! But, then they'll ask where you came from and then they'll kill you! That's even worse! Oh my God!" Arisa panicked for a minute and then led him gently over to the couch, forcing him to sit. She ran back to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit, "Did Cloud hit you? Did you get your katana back?"

Kadaj was too out of it to notice much more than what Arisa was saying. Blood loss was not a good thing, and it was starting to affect his sight. He tried speaking, but that only made him dizzier. He was going to pass out any minute now—

Arisa ran back and used his shirt to put pressure on the wound so it would stop bleeding. She saw that his eyes were glazing over and took his face between her palms, "Stay with me Kadaj! Don't pass out! You have to stay with me! Please!"

Kadaj could hear Arisa, but it was as if she was very, very far away. He was holding on to his consciousness slightly better with her talking, but he didn't know how to tell her that. "Keep... talking..." he mouthed, hoping she could read lips.

"Keep talking?" Arisa guessed, her hands not moving, attempting to get him to focus. "Okay, um... I hacked into Shin-Ra and found out a little bit of what they were doing but I am not gonna tell you until you get better because you'll go ballistic and then you'll pass out and then you might die and if you die I'll cry a lot and I don't even know why I'd cry a lot but I just would and you don't want me to cry do you?" she rambled into one big sentence.

Kadajtried to smirk, but it didn't really work very well. He was so weak at the moment. "Doctor," he mouthed to Arisa. He wasn't about to lay here with a still-bleeding arm and get absolutely no medical attention. Otherwise he would pass out.

"Um...ok... DON'T PASS OUT!!! I am gonna call my uncle, he's a doctor. DON'T PASS OUT KADAJ!!" Arisa ran over to her cell phone and dialed her uncle. It rang twice before he answered.

"...Hello?..."

"Uncle Soichi, its Arisa! I need some help!"

"What! Are you ok? What happened?!"

"No, its not me! It's my friend...Riku...I don't know what happened but he's bleeding really really bad and I need you to come and help me!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can. DON'T PANIC; I know that's your natural instinct but don't."

"Ok. I'm not panicking. JUST HURRY UP!"

She hung up and ran back over to Kadaj. "Kadaj, my uncle is on his way. You have to stay with me until he gets here, ok? Are you with me?"

Kadaj grimaced. "Aah..." The pain was really getting worse. It hadn't been so bad before; blood was just leaking out of his arm uncontrollably. Now it actually hurt more. Damn. Well, at least the pain would keep him conscious.

Arisa winced when he grimaced. She knew that had to hurt badly. She really just had the urge to hug him...but that would be weird...and would probably hurt him so she resisted. She stroked the hair out of his face, "Shh, he'll be here any minute now..."

Kadaj refused to cry out in pain. It was so degrading. So he took it like a man and merely clenched his teeth and fists, hoping Arisa was telling him the truth. But after all of this was over, his nii-san would have _hell_ to pay--and literally if he could get his hands on a Summon materia...

Arisa's uncle arrived mere seconds later, knocking hurriedly on the door. "That'll be him now..." she said as she got up and opened the door for the elderly man. Her Uncle Soichi was about 74 years old but he acted like he was 30 and still back in the military.

"Where is the boy?" he asked as Arisa took his coat.

"Over on the couch, thank you so much. I'm sorry it's so late..."

"Its no problem," he replied then paused, giving her the once over for her scantily clad body. He cleared his throat and shook his head, deciding that it was better to say nothing. He moved over to the coach and took a look at Kadaj's arm. "That's a nasty wound you've got there, ma' boy. What was your name again? Ah yes, Riku; right?"

Arisa shot Kadaj a look that said "Go along with it or I swear to God I'll kill you myself..."

Kadaj narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded as much as he could. God, he really wanted to pass out now. Or at least take a sedative or something. The pain was searing up his entire arm. It irked him he hadn't wounded Cloud more; though he supposed reopening an old wound was good enough.

Uncle Soichi injected Kadaj's wounded arm with a sedative, "This should take the edge off really soon." He cleaned up the wound and wrapped it up with bandages instead of his shirt. "You're really lucky you didn't need stitches, son," he sighed as he stood up. "I'm not going to ask _how_ this happened," he said, giving the half naked pair a look, "but I _will_ ask you to avoid this in the future. You need your health; if you don't have that, you have nothing."

Kadaj was already in so much pain he didn't even feel the needle going into his arm. But almost immediately after the fluid was injected into his system, he felt the pain slowly melting away. He closed his eyes for a moment and decided to keep them shut. He wasn't going to pass out just yet. He still had a firm grasp on consciousness. He just felt really tired.

Arisa thanked her Uncle again and ushered him out before joining Kadaj back on the couch. "He told me to give you Tylenol for the next couple of weeks or so, but that that sedative should help you sleep tonight. How's it feeling?" she asked as she lightly laid her hand on his unwounded arm.

"Doesn't feel like it's on fire anymore," he managed to say. The sedative sure helped him feel like he _didn't_ want to barf if he even tried to speak. "Nii-san fucked it up pretty bad, didn't he?"

"That's good," Arisa said, giving a weak smile, "And yeah, he kinda did. But my uncle says it'll get better in two or three months. More likely three..." She paused as she got up and got a pillow and blanket. She folded the couch out from underneath him and shifted him so he could lie down on the pillow in her lap. "How bad did you mess up my boss?" she asked, laughing softly.

Kadaj sighed. His left arm would be practically useless in those months. This meant he wouldn't be able to go out looking for his katana--Rufus wouldn't make it easy to retrieve, as Cloud would probably inform the other blonde that he was alive. "I only reopened that shoulder wound of his and nicked him a in a few places. I didn't do nearly as much damage to him as he did to me. But he wields those damn Busters and blades like it, so I'm surprised that's all the damage he did. Those two swords of yours don't even compare to the amount of power I would have had with my katana." Wow, talking really wearied him out. Maybe he should cut the elaboration from now on...

Arisa rolled her eyes, she knew better than to be offended by that remark. And it was true about Cloud's big-ass swords; Arisa sometimes wondered if they were a ploy to overcompensate for something... Arisa put a finger to Kadaj's lips, "No more talking. You can tell me how much I suck tomorrow. For now, just rest..."

The last thing Kadaj was aware of hearing was "no more talking," and unconsciously, he lightly kissed Arisa's finger as it rested on his lips. Then he was out like a baby. And despite all that had happened, he looked quite peaceful in his sleep, as if there was a hidden side to the normally sarcastic demeanor he had

Arisa felt the soft kiss and let up like a neon sign, eyes as round as saucers. She rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Guess I don't suck that bad after all..." She watched his facial features soften and the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. Eventually, she fell asleep as well, still sitting up, hunched over with Kadaj on her lap.

Kadaj woke around ten; Arisa was still sleeping. Her head was resting on the back of the couch, her mouth slightly open. God that looked uncomfortable. So, feeling a little guilty--was it really guilt... or that softness?--he moved her as best he could with his right arm. His left still hurt slightly, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the night before. He figured he should probably go get Arisa's swords from outside, though, seeing as they probably meant something to her--and he knew how attached one could get to a sword.

Arisa woke up a few minutes later with a HUMONGOUS crick in her neck. "I'd kill for a massage..." she muttered as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as she remembered the previous night's events. Her cheeks went pink at the thought of Kadaj. She smiled, but her cynical side butted in, making her realize he was just using her. She just didn't have any luck with guys; Vincent or Kadaj. Speaking of Kadaj, where was he? Arisa looked in the bathroom, down the hall, until finally she saw him coming back up the stairs with her swords. "There you are!"

"Figured I should bring these back in," he mumbled, looking over Arisa and only just now realizing she was only in her underwear. (If he were a less serious character Miyou would have inserted a nosebleed here. Alas, Kadaj has a great deal of control. Oh, wait, no he doesn't.) Walking toward Arisa, Kadaj set the twin blades down on the nearest piece of furniture. "I never did properly thank you for keeping me alive, did I?" he said, brushing stray hairs from out of Arisa's eyes, that low, _doushite_ voice once again surfacing.

Arisa cocked her head to the side slightly, "Um, no. I guess you didn't." Kadaj sure was acting strange this morning. It had to be the blood loss. "Nor for feeding or clothing you. Or for bringing you back alive in the first place." She gave him a little smirk; might as well add everything _else_ in there too.

"Arigatou. Gozaimashita." The syllables rolled off his tongue with elegance and each was slightly separated from the others. He cupped her face in his palms, leaning slightly down to press his lips against hers.

Arisa was stunned. Her eyes widened as far as they could before she finally relaxed and closed her eyes. Slowly, she began to kiss him back, her arms sliding up his chest to his shoulders.

Kadaj's hands made their way down Arisa's frame to her waist, walking her back to the couch and laying her down, straddling her in the process. He pulled slightly away to stare into her eyes with a slight smirk on his face. "You're not too bad. I'd even call you beautiful."

"I don't know whether to be flattered or offended," Arisa chuckled. "You're not too bad yourself, if I may say so," she added, her voice husky as her register dropped.

Kadaj's smirk widened. "I can go rough or easy," he said, slightly nipping her ear before he moved to her neck. "Wouldn't want to break you, now would I?"

Arisa made a sound like a breathy moan. "No," she whispered as she teased his earlobe, "But, then again, I wouldn't want to wear you out too badly. I tend to do that." She chuckled as she ran her fingernails lightly down his spinal cord.

"I guess we'll just have to find out then, won't we?" he whispered, a shiver running down his spine.

TIME WARP

Arisa shuddered as Kadaj rolled off of her. "Hot DAMN Kadaj!" she breathed, panting slightly as she tried to focus her scrambled brain. She rolled onto her side and draped her arm across his torso, head resting lightly on his good shoulder.

Kadaj didn't say anything; that was mainly because his arm was killing him again. The sex was good; the searing pain up his arm wasn't, to say the least. "Arisa. Painkiller," he said, completely ruining the mood; but he couldn't help it.

Arisa sat up quickly and ran over to the counter, grabbing the pain medication and a bottle of water. She was a little nervous about him seeing her naked; which, she knew, was quite stupid because he had just done some _very_ dirty things with her naked body. But, Arisa was Arisa. She handed him two pills and the water bottle, setting the other meds down on the coffee table. "I'm SO sorry! He said not to make you do anything strenuous, and here I go making you..."

Kadaj winced but sat up, taking the water and popping the pills quickly. "You didn't _make_ me do anything," he said rather hotly. Damn it hurt. "I did it because I wanted to. And it was worth the pain, so stop using that irritating apologetic voice. I don't need a headache too." And at the moment, he could care less that he was sitting there still fully naked.

Arisa threw a pillow at Kadaj's head, "You know, Kadaj, you may be really good in bed but you just don't get it do you?! You are such a jerk!" She stood and went into the bathroom, slipping her bathrobe on. "The pills should kick in in a minute," she hissed as she stormed back out to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine out of the fridge and pouring herself a glass.

Kadaj caught the pillow and blinked. Odd. No one had called him a jerk to his face before. Well... except nii-san. But he didn't count. He shrugged it off, though; she'd get over it. He redressed and made his way into the kitchen, sitting across from Arisa. "You don't hate me, though," he said to her, countering her previous statement.

"Bite me," she hissed and whipped her head to the side. She winced, her hand going to her neck where a bright purple hickey was forming, "Never mind, I think you already did..." She sipped her wine slowly; she knew that alcohol was supposed to be bad for you, but it always seemed to smooth her nerves so she didn't say anything she shouldn't. Besides, it wasn't like New Edge had any drinking laws.

Kadaj smirked and got up, fetching himself a glass of his own. Why let Arisa hog all the wine? He sat back down, swiping the bottle and pouring himself a glass. "Cheers," he said, lifting his glass slightly and nodding his head curtly, taking a drink, all the while looking as smug as always.

Arisa flashed him a look and was about to say something when the phone rang. She walked over and picked it up, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

Bad Idea.

"Hello?"

"Hello dear, it's your mother! How are you?"

Arisa panicked. It wasn't like she could just hang up on her; she knew that her mother would just come over if she did that. "Um, hi Mom. I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm wonderful, the plans for your brother's wedding are all done and we just need to verify the guests. You are coming aren't you?"

Arisa smacked her head with her palm; how could she forget her brother's wedding?

"Yes, I'm coming. Save me a seat please."

"Good, and are you going to bring that man that's living in your apartment?"

"'THAT MAN LIVING IN MY APARTMENT??!?!!?!?!!?!?!'"

"Oh, you didn't think your uncle would tell me about the young man that's living with you? You should know already that you can't keep things from your mother. So, are you sleeping with him?"

"'SLEEPING WITH HIM?!?!?!'"

"That's what I asked or didn't you hear me."

Arisa was frantic. She couldn't lie to her mother. She was right; she could smell a lie OCEANS away. She was in trouble now.

"So are you or aren't you? Just say it, I'm not going to sit here all day and wait."

"Um...yes."

"Yes what?"

"YES I'M SLEEPING WITH HIM ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!?!?! I GOTTA GO I'LL SEE YOU LATER!!!!" Arisa yelled into the phone and then slammed it down on the receiver. Her mother drove her crazy!

Kadaj almost choked on his wine. Sleeping with him? No, no. _Slept_. He never said anything about doing it again... Even though he probably would. That wasn't the point though. He was recovering when Arisa slammed the phone down. He stared at her for some kind of an explanation.

Arisa banged her head on the wall muttering curses about her family. She was in hell. She just knew it! She should have just told her mother no because she wasn't _sleeping _with him; she'd _slept_ with him. Big difference. She might not even do it again...ok that was a lie but oh well. Come to think of it, she had just slept with the man that had attempted to destroy the planet and would probably try it again. Oh well. She turned to Kadaj and gave him a helpless look, "My mother."

"Well, I figured that much when you said, 'Hi mom.' What'd she want?" He was curious. Arisa obviously didn't like speaking to her mother very much, as she was very surprised to hear it was her mother when she had picked up. That and she had taken to banging her head on the wall for a while after she hung up. Obviously something irritating had just happened, and he wanted to know what.

"My little brother is getting married and she wanted to double check that I was coming; or so she said. She really just wanted to know about you. My uncle spilled the beans about you being here," she crossed over to the table and sat down in front of him. "I don't get along with my family. Except for my little brother, they're all a bunch of rich bastards. They're always coming down on me for trying to get away and do things myself without asking for any money or anything else. I suppose she was surprised that I even called my uncle when you were hurt; except for my little brother, I haven't spoken to any of them since you tried to destroy the planet."

"Oh," he said flatly. He didn't really want to dig deeper into the "I hate my family" hole, so he decided to stay away from the shovel. "Who's the lucky lady, then? For your brother?"

"My brother's gay," she answered as she sipped her wine. She loved her brother dearly. Yukito was her best friend growing up and she was so happy that he had found Touya. Touya had actually gone to college with Arisa; they were the same age and had been friends since their first day in journalism.

"...Oh." Well, that certainly was a surprise. Not that he really minded nor cared. I mean, he could honestly care less where other men decided to shove their dicks--or have other dicks be shoved.

"Actually, since it's going to be on Halloween, they decided to make it a Masquerade. Would you come with me? Please?" Arisa knew this was a hopeless request, but she _REALLY_ didn't want to have to deal with her relatives alone. And she would reward him if he went...

Kadaj was silent for a moment. "As long as there are no tights involved, fine. It's suicide to go to a wedding alone anyway. And it's not like I can really try and get back my katana with my arm the way it is, so I really have nothing better to do." He glanced at his arm and cursed his nii-san inwardly.

Arisa was stunned for a minute; he actually said _yes_? "Thank you so much!" she smiled widely as she ran over to him and kissed him hard.

"Um. You're welcome...?" he said, slightly puzzled. Whatever. He wasn't going to ask. "So what am I supposed to wear to this thing?"

"Well, Yuki has this thing for symbolism so he had this whole thing planned out," she replied. "Basically, Yuki is going to be an angel and Touya is going to be a demon. Their families are supposed to be the opposite; my family is full of demons. No pun intended. Yuki wanted it to be symbolic of the struggles they had to make when they came out of the closet. I have to go pick up my dress today; I'm wearing this red and black corset dress thing that's supposed to be symbolizing the flames of Hell. Yuki wanted me to be that because of my hair. I suppose you could be my Lucifer; black wings and all." She finished her sentence in her low husky voice as she walked behind his chair, her nails leaving feather traces along the back of his neck.

A shiver ran down Kadaj spine as he smirked, "Whatever. So, are you going to feed me or let me starve to death?" He was really hungry if she couldn't tell by the loud rumbles his stomach was making.

"Oh yeah! Sorry about that," Arisa chuckled as she went through the fridge. "We'll need to go shopping today. I took the day off so that shouldn't be a problem."

((And with that they had breakfast and shopping and stuff. End scene. The next chapter is devoted solely to Zack and Cloud so stick around for the good stuff people! REVIEW!!!))


	4. Treating Me Like I'm Already Gone

A/N: Yay! I actually finished this chapter! This was the hardest one to write for me because I love Zack and I really hope I did him justice. You all will be glad to know that I have finally figured out how this is going to end! And that's always good, right? A big thank you to all of the reviewers, and especially to Anonymous Saru for helping me get motivated to finish the last two pages of this chapter and to begin the rest of the story. Love to all! R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its affiliates. No freaking duh. ;

Thorne was furious that the first creation of his machine somehow ended up getting up and walking away. He had been fuming since he had first heard the news. He _knew_ they should have installed cameras in the research facility but, _no_-o. It was too _expensive_. Finally today the lab would know who had come back to the living world from the Lifestream. "Who is it?!?!" he snarled as one of his scientists walked in.

"Um, sir. I'm afraid it's bad," the poor meek scientist stuttered as he fixed his glasses. "It's...Kadaj. He's back."

"Shit."

"Yes sir, shit. But we think that we can bring back someone that would be even stronger than Kadaj."

"No, we are not bringing back Sephiroth; Kadaj is bad enough."

"No sir. Zack."

Zack. The ex-SOLDIER. Yes, Zack would work well indeed. And so Thorne gave the order and Zack was revived.

MAGIC TIME WARP!!!

Zack awoke, naked, in a pool of Lifestream-like liquid. He couldn't remember anything..._no wait. I remember something called Shin-Ra and...**Cloud**._ Zack stood and grabbed a lab coat on the way out of the room, punching out scientists left and right. He had to find this person. He had to find **_Cloud_**.

Cloud sped along one of the many wide roads of Edge, heading toward the outskirts of the remains of Midgar. From there, he was going to visit that infamous cliff that had completely turned his life around. Of course, he had to pass by the rebuilt Shin-Ra building first. He could see it in the distance now, and upon nearing it more, he squinted at a figure he could somewhat make out. Closer now--

"Zack?!" He screeched Fenrir to a halt and jumped off the bike, running toward the figure that most definitely looked like his best friend from SOLDIER, the First Class SOLDIER who had been closer to General Sephiroth than any other could have claimed.

He was close enough now to tell that he was indeed running toward _his_ Zack. "Zack! Zack, you're alive!" He ran full-force into the darker-haired man, holding tightly to his waist, staring up into those grey-blue eyes, not really caring or realizing he was only wearing a lab coat. "_Teme_! I thought you were _dead_!" he screamed, infuriated that Zack was _just now_ deciding to show up. "Where the hell _were_ you?!"

Zack blinked, attempting to process this blonde that was attacking him. He couldn't remember anything and it was driving him crazy. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought long and hard for a minute, attempting to remember this man. Finally, it came to him, as strong as a bullet through the chest. (Well isn't that ironic?) "Cloud?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Cloud," he said sharply, pulling himself away from Zack to cross his arms and glare slightly at the older man. "Or did you forget your _best friend_ during your disappearance?" He was being a little harsh, yes, but Zack had been... _gone_ for almost three years. And now that the darker-haired man was standing before him, Cloud _knew_ he hadn't been in denial all that time--and Tifa owed him 100 Gil.

"I was... _gone_?" he asked, brows furrowed. His mind was a mess; like clips of movies playing over and over on a broken projector. He remembered a sword, a white-haired man, and this _Cloud_. He moaned slightly as the snippets of memories became faster, his hand covering his forehead.

Cloud frowned. What the hell was wrong with Zack? "Zack..." he started tentatively. "What's the matter with you? You're acting... strange. What exactly happened to you while you were gone?"

_'Acting strange' he says; what happened to me?_ He took another minute, and then finally remembered. "Cloud, I died didn't I?" He remembered Sephiroth and being in SOLDIER and... "Oh God, Cloud, did you stop Sephiroth? What about Jenova?" he grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and shook him lightly.

Cloud stared at Zack like he was crazy. "What?" he said, slightly disbelieving. "You... didn't die, Zack. You were just... _gone_..." This wasn't denial! Zack was just playing around, like he always used to... Right? "But what does Sephiroth have to do with any of this? He's been dead, ever since the Kadaj incident. And Jenova? What the hell, Zack? Jenova was destroyed a long time ago!"

"No! Cloud, the last thing I remember is that you were all fucked up by the Mako and I was all 'We're friends, right?' and then we got to this hill thing and I woke up and some Shin-Ra bastards shot me!" Zack paced for a minute; he knew that that was what happened. It just had to have! So then, why was he back? "So, I guess I must be back now for some purpose... I'm back..." A slow grin began to paint his face until he hugged Cloud, picking him up and spinning him slightly, "I'm back!"

Cloud was extremely confused, to say the least. Zack was... acting like Zack again, but Cloud still wouldn't believe, even coming from the mouth of the victim, that the darker-haired man had died. "Yes... you are back, but... you couldn't have died, Zack!" He clung to the older man as he was spun around. "You survived _Sephiroth_; you were _first under the General himself_! A bullet couldn't have killed you! ...Right?"

"Well, I would like to think that it wouldn't, but it obviously did so there's no point in worrying your pretty little head over it," he tousled Cloud's hair with a smirk. Zack stretched; it was good to be back. Now the only thing missing was... "Cloud, where the hell is my sword?"

Cloud diverted his eyes to the ground. "So then... all that time... you really were dead?" _I guess Aerith really wasn't just playing tricks on me, then..._ His head perked back up at the mention of the Buster Sword.

_Oh shit._

"Um. The Buster?" He laughed nervously. As of right now, it was probably rusting away beneath wind-blown dirt. "I really don't think you want to know."

Zack turned around to face the blonde slowly, "Cloud. Fucking. Strife. Where. The Hell. Is my. _Sword_?" He enunciated every word, holding back his need to hurt something. He _loved_ that sword, and if anything had happened to it...

"Alright, God dammit! I'll take you to your sword... I was heading to where it is anyway." He motioned with his hand for Zack to follow and hopped on Fenrir, revving the engine.

Zack followed Cloud's lead and joined him on the bike. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and snuggled his bottom half a little closer to Cloud's butt. "Just like old times, Cloud," he whispered into his ear, smug as ever.

Cloud elbowed Zack, but only hard enough to make his point. "Yeah, but if you want your damned sword, then no sex on the bike, got it?" With that, they were roaring off to that infamous cliff, which was still a long way from where they were.

Zack let out a deep good-hearted laugh, "Cloud, you were always the party-pooper weren't you?" Cloud seemed different than how he remembered him, colder, harder. He wondered what had happened since he'd left. "So Cloud," he began, "who is this 'Kadaj' person

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I didn't say we can't do it anywhere else; just not on the bike." He smirked. "But Kadaj is Sephiroth's avatar. I killed him, but he's back now. God knows how... But all he wanted was his katana back; he didn't seem too keen on anything else, really. Which is a great relief..."

"Sephiroth's avatar, eh? Strange. But he's back too? Somehow, I don't believe that is a coincidence..." Something was going on here, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It obviously had something to do with Shin-Ra... He put his thoughts aside for a minute to give Cloud a big smirk, "You know sex on the bike would be the highlight of your year."

"Tch. Believe me, there are better places, Zack. But you're probably right about Shin-Ra. I don't want to think about it. I don't want to deal with anymore of this crap. I'm sick of being the hero." He figured Shin-Ra was behind it, because Shin-Ra was always behind everything, but none of this really concerned him, so he didn't really give a rat's ass. They were nearing the borderline of the Ruins of Midgar now, so it wouldn't be much farther to the cliff; Cloud revved the engine again for a burst in speed.

"You don't have to be the hero anymore," Zack whispered, "I can do it for you now. You don't have to worry anymore." Something _had_ happened, but he supposed that he'd find out exactly what sooner or later and thought better than to pry. He held onto Cloud a little tighter as they sped up, a little anxious to see his sword again.

Cloud really wanted to throw himself into Zack's chest and tell him just how glad he was that the darker-haired man was back, but his duties driving kept him from doing so. "We're almost there," he announced, road no longer visible, just dirt and rocks.

Zack looked around and immediately remembered the setting. "Well, this sure hasn't changed much, now has it?" He looked back at the city of New Edge, so completely different than the Midgar he remembered.

Cloud parked the bike near the cliff. "And doesn't it just bring back fond memories?" he said sarcastically. He got off the bike and walked toward the spot he was pretty sure the Buster was buried. "It's... around here somewhere. It got buried. I figured I didn't need it anymore..."

"Oh thanks Cloud, you're the best friend ever," Zack scoffed as he sifted through the dirt. After a few minutes of digging, he found what he'd been looking for. Pulling it up, he shook as much dirt as he could from its blade, "There's my baby..."

Cloud crossed his arms. "Yeah. Well, I didn't think you'd be coming back, Zack. I didn't want to keep such a heart-wrenching memento. But it's all yours again now." He walked over to Zack and stood behind him, placing his hands over Zack's on the Buster, resting his chin on Zack's shoulder. "Does it still feel like your Buster?" he said, testing the sword with Zack.

Zack tested his beloved Buster with the utmost care, "She's really dirty and rusty, the blade needs to be sharpened, and I'm gonna need to practice with her a bit, but yeah; its good to have it back."

Cloud grin-smirked. "Good to know," he said, arms around Zack's waist now. "As useful as it was when I used it, it's too outdated now. And I've got a more modern Buster now. But let's go home."

"Modern-Shmodern, I bet my Buster can kick your Buster's ass," Zack smirked as he followed Cloud back to Fenrir.

Cloud snorted. "Yeah. Right. Who beat Sephiroth with his 'modern-schmodern' Buster, hm? Yeah, that's right. I did. Just because I didn't make it into SOLDIER doesn't mean I couldn't kick your ass." Cloud hopped on Fenrir and revved the engine.

"Yeah, yeah, Blondie. You just keep telling yourself that," Zack chuckled as he swung his leg over the seat, settling behind Cloud. "Let's get going. I'm anxious to see the rest of town. Then we can discuss all that's happened. Maybe we can find out why I'm suddenly back from the dead, as well as this Kadaj person…"

The pair sped off past the Ruins and back into town, carefully avoiding the Shin-Ra building. Old habits die hard. Cloud was just happy that Zack was back. He could care less about the whys and the hows, just that he wasn't alone anymore. The grey buildings, half constructed, flew by as they sped through the remnants.

They reached 7th Heaven quickly and entered through the back; the door where the lock _wasn't_ broken. (Thanks a lot, Kadaj!)

"Tifa?" Cloud called, shutting the door behind Zack. "Marlene? Is anybody here?" He crossed to the kitchen counter and noticed a post-it saying that everyone was going to be out for the evening and to expect them home late. "Well, of all the days for them not to be here…" the blonde sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Zack answered, examining a crayon picture Marlene had drawn of everyone, entitled 'My Family'. "I'll see them eventually. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Cloud's face fell. "That's what you said last time," he muttered darkly, his arms crossing his chest.

Zack smiled softly as he crossed towards him, laying a hand gently on Cloud's forearm, "I know. But I'm not going to leave you. Not this time."

As much as Cloud felt the urge to throw himself onto the taller man and never let him go, he didn't. He couldn't. Instead he brushed his touch off and walked away into the other room.

"You never forgave yourself for my death did you?" Zack called after him.

Cloud froze.

Zack followed after him. "That's why you're acting so cold, so harsh. My death broke you, didn't it?"

"Shut up," Cloud whispered and moved quickly up the stairs, stopping at the top.

"That's it, isn't it Cloud? And now that I'm alive again you don't know what to do."

The blonde looked down towards the floor and shook his head before quickly moving off to his room.

"Stop running from me Cloud!" Zack trailed after him, shutting the door to Cloud's room behind him and standing in front of it. There was nowhere else for the blonde to go. He needed Cloud to face this. "I broke you once Cloud, now let me fix you…"

Cloud backed up until the backs of his knees hit the mattress of his bed. He stayed frozen as Zack moved slowly towards him. Zack cupped his cheek lightly with one hand and used the other to bridge the distance between their bodies. "Please Cloud…" he whispered against his hair. Zack leaned down slowly and the pair's lips brushed for the first time in many years.

That was when Cloud's dam of self control and fear broke. He kissed Zack like he was going to eat him and what started as a slow, soft brush of lips became a rush of mouths, tongues, and hands. Cloud grabbed fistfuls of Zack's hair and pulled all of their bodies as close as they could get.

Zack walked Cloud away from the bed and pinned him against the wall. He broke their kiss for only a moment to look into the blue flames of Cloud's eyes and pull the blonde's shirt over his head. He smoothed his hands over the muscles in his shoulders, biceps, and abs as if he were memorizing them. His mouth moved down from Cloud's lips to his jaw line, to his earlobe, to his neck, using his tongue and grazing his teeth lightly along the soft, tender flesh. He licked his way down the center of his chest until he got to his nipple and went to work with that, producing soft moans from deep in Cloud's throat.

Cloud's knees were about to go out on him as Zack moved down his stomach and licked the soft skin under the waistband of his pants. Zack kissed him softly on his bellybutton before standing, picking him up, and laying him on the bed. Cloud whimpered, a crimson blush painting his pale cheeks.

"I know, Cloud. I love you too."


End file.
